matter of faith. religion and politics collide on the campaign trail. a pastor's comments about mitt romney ignite a firestorm. tonight, the candidates weigh in. security breach. a computer virus infects the military's go-to weapon against overseas terrorists. how did it happen and tonight how deep is theconcern? you've got junk mail and a whole lot more of it might be headed your way. the postal service's new plan to stay in business. center stage. michael jackson's kids join some of the biggest acts on earth in a star-studded tribute to their father. and weekend warriors.

amidst football night in america, we're taking a field with the guys that make the tough calls. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. religion and politics, sensitive topics known to derail polite conversation at the dinner table are having the same effect on the campaign trail tonight. it started with a not so veiled comment about genuine christianity, by a supporter of republican presidential candidate rick perry. from there, it evolved into an attack on mitt romney and his mormon faith. and tonight, as the candidates try to quickly redirect the conversation, romney is once again facing the same question that dogged him since his first white house run, will his religion become an issue with voters? nbc's mike viqueira joins us now from the white house with more on this. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, lester. there is more fallout today over

the texas pastor's remarks attacking mitt romney's faith. after years of wrestling of the issues of politics and faith, religion and politics, many are asking the question does it all still matter? >> how are you all doing? >> reporter: turning out the herman cain in south carolina, some gop voters were put off by the attack on mitt romney's faith. >> i don't believe that the mormon is a bad cult. >> it is definitely a form of christianity, but to say that again is very divisive and i don't think it is helping anything right now. >> reporter: today, gop candidates were shying away from the controversy. >> senator, do you think mormonism is a cult? >> no, i don't. >> mitt romney, is he a nonchristian? >> i'm not running for thee lodgen in stave. >> reporter: the firestorm began this weekend in washington when texas pastor robert jeffress introduced rick perry, praising his devout faith. >> he is a true conservative and he is a general follower of

jesus christ. >> reporter: backstage, jeffress made his views on romney's faith clear. >> mormonism is not christianity, it always has been considered a cult by the mainstream of christianity. >> reporter: jeffress opened up an old divide, while other christian faiths rely solely on biblical scripture, mormonism also follows the revelations of the church's founder, joseph smith. >> evangelicals, many of them, have a theological beef with the church of latter day saints. >> reporter: perry says he does not agree with jeffress. later at the same conference, romney called for unity from social conservatives. >> poisonous language doesn't advance our cause. >> reporter: this isn't the first time romney had to defend his faith. as a candidate in 2007, he tried to assure conservative doubters. >> if i'm fortunate to become your president, i will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. >> reporter: but experts say that this year the economy dominates, and the faith question may take a back seat.

>> this is really about the economy and about one's skills to be ceo of the nation. >> reporter: and lester are with chris christie and sarah palin dropping out of the race, mitt romney is now the front-runner. he can expect a lot more flack. he's taken issue on abortion and gun control that don't jive with gop orthodoxy. lester. what began with a small disorganized protest on wall street in lower manhattan has now entered its fourth week, swelling to nationwide demonstrations against what protesters call corporate greed. the grassroots campaign is gaining steam to the use of social media and lawmakers in washington and on the campaign trail are starting to weigh in. we get our report tonight from nbc's ron mott. >> reporter: day 23 of the occupy wall street protest had a festival atmosphere in lower manhattan today, but demonstrators were hardly in a partying mood. >> people are tired of oppression. this is an oppression that is

quiet, it comes through the mail, there is no army to fight. >> reporter: the protests are starting to shape an image. >> i want corporations out of the government and i want people back in. >> reporter: this new video answering questions many are starting to ask, what's the point of it all? this weekend, they gathered in places like indianapolis, cincinnati, and philadelphia. at the national air and space museum in washington, anti-war protesters which included members of occupy d.c. were turned away by pepper spray, and showed this video on youtube. despite the dustup in washington, these protests have been largely peaceful and their messages of economic inequality, social injustice and peace over war are beginning to take root in the nation's political debate. house minority leader nancy pelosi echoed the president's sentiment that many americans are frustrated, and appeared to go a step further. >> i support the message to the establishment, whether it is wall street or the political establishment and the rest that change has to happen. we cannot continue in a way that

does not -- that is not relevant to their lives. people are angry. >> reporter: her republican counterpart, congressman eric cantor, said that eric pit z an americans against one another. >> i for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying wall street and the other cities across the country. >> reporter: and some gop presidential candidates, herman cain. >> my parents, they never played the victim card. my dad's idea was, i want to work hard enough so i can buy a cadillac, not take somebody else's. >> reporter: a growing divide among politicians over protesters who say they're aiming to narrow the gap in america. ron mott, nbc news, new york. for more on the protests and the latest from the campaign trail, let's bring in cnbc's chief washington correspondent john harwood. a question about this occupy wall street movement. right now it seems to be more anger-based and is not really embraced a policy, so

politicians, what are the risks and rewards of embracing this movement? >> well, for democrats like with republicans in the tea party, you've got to weigh the costs and benefits. are the causes being espoused by protesters in line with mainstream voters and does the tone and the appearance of the protests seem to play into mainstream political desire for action? republicans decided that the tea party was standing for cutting spending. that is a message that had broad appeal. it is not yet clear that the occupy wall street does tap into a much broader vein and until that happens, most democratic leaders will be wary. >> i want to ask you about the question of religion in politics. there was a recent survey, a third of white evangelicals would be less likely to support a candidate that was a mormon. what does that mean? when you look at the array of southern primaries where you have evangelicals, what does it mean to romney? how important is that to earning the nomination? >> in theory it is important because there are a lot of

southern evangelical voters in the primary that makes a difference. this is largely focused on the economy. south carolina is perhaps where he's most vulnerable. in florida, he has a big counter because of the social security issue which he's used effectively against rick perry. as long as rick perry is struggling politically, perry has less ability to put pressure from the social right on mitt romney. >> john harwood, thanks very much. tonight nbc news learned more about the virus, the computer virus that infectioned top secret government computer systems that control remotely piloted drones which the u.s. military used to spy on and attack terror targets overseas. pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more tonight from our washington bureau. jim, good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening, lester. these unmanned drones, many armed with those deadly accurate hell fire missiles are supposed to be the future of u.s. warfare, but they run into a serious glitch. u.s. military officials confirm that a virus has infected the highly classified computers that

allow piloted air force bases in nevada to fly droenz against targets half a world away and they still haven't found a way to shake it. there is no indication yet the virus has actually compromised classified material and the air force pilots continue to fly their missions by remote control. we're also told the cia predator drones that have launched attacks against al qaeda and other enemy targets have not been hacked by this virus. the military's aggressively trying to track down the source of the bug. they admit they're deeply concerned but say so far nobody panicked. this does raise serious questions, however, about the system's overall vulnerability to cyberattacks that could actually go well beyond this stubborn virus, lester. >> disturbing questions. jim miklaszewski, thank you. overseas tonight, violence erupted during a religious protests on the streets of cairo. at least 23 are dead, many more injured after the most chaotic scene of the uprising against

hosni mubarak this year. christians make 10% of the roughly 80 million people and took to the streets blaming muslim radicals for partially demolishing a church. in libya, revolutionary forces made a key step forward today, seizing a convention center that served as a major base for remaining gadhafi supporters. the fight is happening in the center of moammar gadhafi's hometown of sirte. the last major city controlled by gadhafi loyalists. libya's transitional leadership said it will declare the country liberated once it gains full control of that city. this past week marked ten years since the start of a u.s.-led war in afghanistan. we often hear a lot about the military and political side of things, but as we mark a decade since the effort to route out the taliban and their oppressive rule, we wanted to take a look at how life has changed for the people of kabul. here is nbc's atia abawi. >> reporter: through the smoke and rubble of a raging war, there are signs of a new afghanistan.

girls attending school, women back in the workplace, and a booming but still fragile economy. today, more than 15 million people own cell phones and at least 50% of the population has access to the media. >> this is our main studio for the news and current affairs. >> reporter: 11 years ago, this man was a news reader for the taliban radio station, television was banned. today he manages the number one tv station in afghanistan, covering the war for those living the war. do you feel like it has made a difference? >> a lot of difference. >> reporter: through talk shows, cooking shows, dramas, comedies and news, tolo is entertaining but also educating, opening a window on the wider world. today through editing the afghan certification of "sesame street" and dubbing the popular american break "prison break" into the local language. it is a huge hit here. >> we saw that afghanistan, you know, people deprived of media

for such a long time, there would be a huge appetite for radio and television. >> reporter: but afghan wanted more than just media. ten years ago, most afghans did not expect to go from street shops and bazaars to modern day shopping malls and now one of the main consumer targets, women. at this mall, women can buy everything from clothing to hair color, and at this fast food restaurant called afc for afghan fried chicken, there is a children's play room. neither would have existed under the taliban. and those enjoying it now know how rare and fragile their new found freedom is. the capital and other cities are better, this woman says, but other provinces where the taliban has control are not in a good position. afghans know it will take time to transform the whole country. they hope the world will still be watching in another ten years. atia abawi, nbc news, kabul. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday, if you think you get a whole lot of junk mail now, wait until you

hear about the postal service's new plan. and later, they get grief from all sides, nfl refs. we get a rare close-up look of how they do it. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles,

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back now with a real sign of the times. deep in debt and facing hundreds of thousands of layoffs, it is no secret the u.s. postal service is desperate to stay afloat in this increasingly digital world. last year, postal workers moved 82 billion pieces of junk mail through the system. and in dire need of new revenue, the postal service is hoping to slip more of the catalogs into your mailbox. here is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it is one of those rituals of daily life that people either love or hate. >> junk mail has to go. the purpose of getting the po box was to eliminate all of it. >> i don't like it. it goes from the mailbox to the trash or to the recycling bin. >> reporter: the first thing you need to know about junk mail is that it is not junk to the postal service. it is serious money at a time when the usps is running an $8.5 billion short fall. while the volume of first class mail, personal letters to bills, dropped 7% last year, and a whopping 26% over the last four

years, advertising mail increased 3% last year, now making up nearly half of all mail. and the postal service is running a series of tv ads urging businesses to send even more, with the reminder that mail rarely gets hacked. >> it is good for your business. and even better for your customers. >> reporter: so why in a digital age are advertisers even turning to the mail? because it turns out a catalog is a lot harder to delete than an e-mail and chances are you'll sit at home and flip through it. >> the critical thing for us is to do two things. generate new revenues through direct advertising mail and have a big share of that package market that follows up when you buy something online. >> reporter: while only 1.4% of households buy after receiving a mailed ad, even fewer, about half a percent, buy after getting an e-mail ad. that's hard to ignore as a financially strapped postal service desperate for revenue prepares to cut saturday delivery and 220,000 jobs.

>> the sobering reality is that first class mail volume lost will not return. >> reporter: expected to drop another 50% over the next ten years. >> i don't really have any mail that comes to my house. it is all online. >> reporter: so while you may no longer get your bills or handwritten birthday cards, the postal service is hoping to keep your box full. tom costello, nbc news, chantilly, virginia. when we come back eric big wedding day in london and michael jackson's kids take center stage in an all-star tribute to their dad.

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mccartney wed american nancy shevell at a central london town hall. then partied the night away at their home. among the close friends and in attendance, ringo starr, the bride wore an ivory dress made by her new stepdaughter, fashion designer stella mccartney. another big event in the uk this weekend, a star-studded tribute to the late king of pop michael jackson. with michael jackson's death making headlines in a courtroom in los angeles, this was a concert focusing on his life and his musical legacy. our report tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: a night to remember and sing and celebrate the king of pop. some of michael jackson's family did attend the musical tribute, his mother watched from a seat in the stands at the stadium in wales, filled with 50,000 fans. >> it was a great time to celebrate all the beautiful things that my brother stood for. >> reporter: other family members and some big name acts, however, stayed away, as it took

place at the height of the manslaughter trial of dr. conrad murray, accused of giving jackson a lethal dose of sedatives. >> i was hesitant about this and i thought i have to do it for him. and i did. >> i think they have a right to whatever they feel, but we're celebrating the positive side of our brother's life. >> reporter: michael jackson may have left this world more than two years ago -- >> if you're a fan of michael jackson, make some noise! >> reporter: -- but those who made the pilgrimage made sure his contributions weren't forgotten. >> a tribute to the undisputed king of pop. >> i want you to welcome to the stage the heirs to the thrown, mi michael's children, prince, paris and blanket jackson. >> reporter: a rare public appearance by jackson's three children. they have not appeared in front of a crowd this large since his memorial. >> daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine.

>> reporter: daughter paris, now 13, helped out her little brother. >> very happy for this special night. >> we're very happy to be here on this special night to honor our father. >> epic, epic. >> we felt like michael jackson was going to come out here any minute and perform. >> reporter: before his death, it was on this side of the atlantic that jackson planned to launch his comeback. with this tribute, for one night anyway, the controversy surrounding that death took a back seat. kevin tibbles, nbc news, london. the nfl is paying tribute to a legendary figure in football history today with a moment of silence before every game. al davis, the larger than life owner of the oakland raiders, passed away this weekend at the age of 82. davis was a pivotal figure in the 1970 merger of the afl with the nfl, forming the powerhouse league. as we know it today.

brash and at times rebellious, he famously fought the nfl over a number of issues, including his team's move from oakland to l.a. and back to oakland. nfl commissioner roger goodell called davis a true legend who made an extraordinary impact on the game. up next here tonight, taking the field with the tough guys who make the tough calls. [ man ] sweet, nutty crunchy nut...

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finally tonight, on this football sunday, the men in stripes, games are won and lost based on how they see it. yet like the players, they can ill afford a bad game. and so after further review, we decided to take a look inside the world of nfl officials, or as some call them, the third team on the field. on any given sunday you will

find this team preparing for battle, one that is both physically and mentally demanding. but when this team takes the field, winning is not their goal. >> those teams play to win or lose. we play to be the best and the most accurate there is. >> reporter: as the third team on the field, nfl officials are scouted just like athletes. >> fitness is important, knowledge is important and we want folks who are passionate about the game of football. >> reporter: about 15 years of experience is required at the high school and collegiate level before you can even apply to the national football league. >> if you are a strong performer at the collegiate level, we would bring you into the office, interview you and make that person a finalist. >> reporter: wayne mackey, a head linesman in his fifth nfl season, recalls the intense selection process. >> you have to go through a psychological exam, okay, and then you, from the psychological you sit at the what i term the knights of the round table where you're sitting with all the supervisors around the table firing questions at you. >> reporter: make no mistake,

officiating in the nfl is a full time commitment. >> everybody will tell you the same thing. they think we just show up, roll out of bed in the morning, officiate and go back home. they don't have any idea what the work we put in from sunday from doing the game and studying and film review all during the week. >> reporter: nfl officials put in anywhere between 40 to 80 hours a week, all this while juggling other week day jobs. the roster includes lawyers, bankers, principals and administrators. >> director of operations at the new york city housing preservation and development. there is many a time i've gotten off the plane and went straight to work. >> reporter: on game day, mackey's team needs to go over their own game plan. >> the current time is 6:02:30. >> reporter: then five minutes before kickoff, those men in stripes take the field. keeping cool is a prerequisite. >> we have a motto that we use as officials, the hotter it gets, the cooler we get. >> reporter: each week, officials are graded by

supervisors for the calls they did and didn't make. >> the grading system is a performance based system. and it is how we determine who works in the playoffs and eventually who gets the big prize of the super bowl. >> reporter: mackey is not eligible for the super bowl yet, but one of the keys to his success so far has been his leadership on and off the field. >> the most fulfilling part of my job is the camaraderie that i have with my fellow officials. >> and with seconds left in our own fourth quarter, we have just enough time to tell you that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. coming up next, "football night in america" followed by "sunday night football," the packers versus the faulkens. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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